


;finals

by bleucheeks



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Belly Rubs, Emetophilia, Fluff, KageHina - Freeform, M/M, Nausea, New Boyfriends, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Sick Hinata Shouyou, Sickfic, Soooooo much fluff, Vomiting, emeto, kagehina are freshmen in college, the team has a frat house, tummy trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 20:37:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12196995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleucheeks/pseuds/bleucheeks
Summary: a nervous hinata is a nauseous hinata.As a college freshman, it’s Hinata’s first time dealing with finals. The pressure does a number on his nerves, and his stomach. He learns he no longer has to go it alone because Kageyama has his full support.





	1. Chapter 1

______

_monday, exam 1 &2_

_  
_Kageyama is walking so close to Hinata that they’ve been bumping arms with each stride since they left the campus courtyard. And it’s not because it’s cold out. He’s doing it on purpose. Hinata’s been quiet all day. He hasn’t been very present with him–or with anything–other than studying. He figures if he just acts like a kid for a few seconds, Hinata might perk up like he normally does, especially with Kageyama choosing to give him the extra attention. It could be a result of all the studying. Has to be. Hinata probably had a lot on his mind. It’s understandable, but it doesn’t mean Kageyama has to be okay with it.

He nudges Hinata hard enough to make the smaller boy stumble sideways a little before he catches himself. His lips turn sour and he hiccups. It comes up so unexpectedly, Hinata has no time to smother it in his scarf. 

“What’s wrong with you, dummy,” Kageyama doesn’t do pet names. Hinata is definitely his boyfriend, and he feels that’s all anyone needs to hear him say about that. One is as clear as day; Kageyama’s voice is undeniably softer when he talks to Hinata, and that speaks volumes if you knew him. 

Hinata takes a while to answer, like he himself doesn’t know what’s wrong. “Mmm–my stomach. It feels…,” he trailes off and shakes his head. Upon mentioning it, he wraps an arm around his middle. The skin is sensitive there. It curdles the moment it’s touched, which has been what it’s been doing since morning rolled around. He chews on his lip and stares at the ground. The last thing he wants to be is overdramatic when he doesn’t feel well. Being that he’s used to having stomach issues, he feels he should keep this to himself. 

  
Kageyama takes his hand, squeezes it.  _You could’ve told me earlier_ , it says. Hinata looks up, his face paler than it usually is, amber eyes tired. The look he gives is barely a smile. Kageyama ruffles some of his hair, fiery strands soft like silk between his fingers. “Take a nap when we get inside." 

  
"I don’t have any time.” That’s all Hinata has been saying since the week leading to this day. Finals made him into a nervous wreck. It’s only the first day of exams. 1 out of 7. Hinata hadn’t slept properly in what might actually have been about 24 whole hours. He and Noya were so confident this all-night study binge strategy would work, but they were already burning out. 

“You can give yourself a few hours." 

"I don’t think I can.” Hinata’s testy stomach hasn’t had a flare up in a good while, but this was his first year in college; volleyball was the real deal now. Passing grades equalled a degree. More than passing grades kept him in volleyball. He had to pass all of his exams. 

“I don’t think you have a choice at this point. If you don’t get any sleep, you won’t be in shape to study, let alone take a test.” Kageyama presses his thumb into the top of Hinata’s hand. 

“But we have practice today.” Hinata breathes out like he’s uncomfortable, and then a tight burp escapes him and he tightens his lips.

“It’s open-gym. That’s optional." 

Hinata goes rigid a little and his jaw clenches. His stomach rumbles under his arm. Kageyama sighs. "Look, if you seem okay after you wake up, come to the gym. If it’ll make you less stressed out…," 

"I think it will.” Hinata lookes up at him again and his bright eyes are hopeful this time. Hinata had gotten slightly taller since college, much to Noya’s utter dismay. He was still shorter than his boyfriend, but now only right under his chin. 

His face is close enough for a quick kiss, but Kageyama decides against it.

“Well then, by all means,”

____  
  


To Hinata’s relief, a nap and a night of practice  _does_  help. Volleyball did that though, once he was in the zone. His adrenaline would pick up and his nervousness would dissolve. By the end of practice, it was as if he’d sweated the anxiety away. When a thought about exams would surface, the buzz of intense physical activity numbed the sting of it. Right now, he can’t get anxious even if he tried. 

He and Kageyama race back to their dorm. It used to end in a fight, before college happened. Now it ended in a bout of heated kissing, usually with Hinata pushed up against the wall, lips feisty and impatient for Kageyama’s salty skin. Hinata pushes him away before the taller boy can lift his shirt off. 

“Lets not get started,” he says, sounding breathless. “I still need to go to Noya’s.”  

He giggles when Kageyama tugs his wrist, pulling him back with enough force to have Hinata slamming into his chest. They play-wrestle to the ground, but Kageyama’s lips keep finding his and Hinata takes longer and longer to break away. Another 5 minutes have passed and this time it’s Kageyama who stops, since his small boyfriend has become a limp body on the floor. Kageyama is straddling him; he bends down to pull Hinata’s earlobe with his teeth. 

“Have I kissed you to sleep?" 

Hinata flinches a little. His eyes are slow to open. Kageyama pats his cheek some and pulls his arms, lifting Hinata so he’ll sit up. The boy’s upper body slumps into Kageyama’s broad chest.  If they stayed like this for any longer, they weren’t going anywhere else tonight. But Hinata had hours more worth of cramming to do. He himself should probably meet up with some friends in the student union for some brushing up. 

"Hinata. Go study." 

Hinata moves to stand up even as his brain is still asleep. "Right. Noya’s,” he slurs. In his clumsiness, he almost steps on Kageyama’s crotch. Kageyama watches him struggle with his bookbag before leaving their dorm barefoot.   
____  
  


_tuesday, exam 3 &4_

Hinata gets off on a rough start. He never left the frat house that night, falling asleep with Nishinoya on a pile of books and snack wrappers on his bed. Ramen cups litter the floor.  He only sleeps for maybe 2 hours that night.   
Nishinoya shakes him awake in enough time for Hinata to get his bearings, for a nice long shower if he wants one. For one of Suga’s famous breakfast of champions. 

But by the time he makes it downstairs to the kitchen, he realizes he isn’t hungry at all. In fact, he feels strangely full. He shyly asks Suga for a cup of coffee to go, because the whole house knows he’s not one to drink any. He downs it with some cream and sugar and prays it wakes him up. 

Kageyama has texted him 8 times apparently. He’s probably wondering where he is, since he never came back to the dorm. He doesn’t have time to explain. He gets on his bike and heads to class in a hurry.

By the time he’s settled in the classroom, the cream from the coffee he drank feels like it’s curdled in his stomach. He’s left to deal with cramps off and on for the duration of the exam. By the end of it, he feels like a hot air balloon, having clamped down and swallowed every burp that pushed passed his lips. He curses the silence of the lecture hall; the gurgling inside him is inevitable.   
____  
  


Hinata has his head in Kageyama’s lap, rubbing his chest with the grimace he’s been wearing for most of the morning. They’re relaxing under a tree on a patch of grass in a pretty and semi-secluded part of the courtyard on campus, and they’re supposed to be having lunch, but Hinata can’t bring himself to eat. He hasn’t eaten anything all day, but every time he thinks about consuming something, his stomach turns. And he still feels full. He shouldn’t have held in all that air that needed to come up that morning, because now it  _won’t_. 

Kageyama leaves him alone, enjoying his riceball in peace and reading from his English textbook. He’s learned now that asking Hinata if he’s okay gets him nowhere. He concludes that his boyfriend becomes a nervous wreck when exams roll around. A nervous Hinata is usually a nauseous Hinata. And a quiet Hinata. 

Hinata moans a little, biting his lip when his stomach gurgles under his hand. He picks up his phone and starts typing. 

**_is coffee supposed to make your stomach upset?_ **

Kageyama’s phone dings. He’s included in the group chat after all. 

**_nishinoya: it can. i can only do it if i’m good on water. otherwise, it makes me gassy as heeeelllll. #teamenergydrinks bro!!_ **

**_asahi: sorry to say it, but… .coffee is a diuretic, so… . >__> _ **

**_tanaka: did you fart in the middle of class??!! lol!!_ **

**_hinata: SHUT UP! I’m just asking!_ **

**_suga: hinata-chan, are you okay? you didn’t look so good when you left this morning._ **

**_hinata: i’ll be okay. i think i’m just anxious about exams. you know how i get._ **

Hinata lets his phone fall next to him to stick his hand under his hoodie. He has his eyes squeezed shut, so he only feels Kageyama’s hand replace his own under the fabric. He sets his hand on top while Kageyama’s warm palm moves across his chest. It rumbles underneath him. He makes a disapproving sound and rubs his thumb into the middle of Hinata’s ribcage. Hinata squirms as a sluggish and gurgly burp worms its way up his throat and past his lips. It’s nasty and wet and he has to swallow because some acidic-tasting coffee comes up with it. 

“Coffee wasn’t the best solution for you.” Kageyama remarks while Hinata swallows repeatedly, hiccuping into the back of his hand. He looks miserable. Kageyama feels a little sorry he hasn’t tried to do something sooner. But it’s been difficult for them to see each other today. They both had different exams at different times and in different classes. And Kageyama had woken up to find Hinata nowhere in sight. He hadn’t even answered his texts that morning. This is the first time he’s seen Hinata all day. It feels nice to rub circles into his skin, to just touch him, really; he misses him. 

“I didn’t think it would mess up my stomach like this,” Hinata says in a wobbly voice. His stomach decides to twist, ending in a cramp that lingers for a little too long. He hugs his middle with both his arms and puffs out a gust of air. It makes him curl up and he turns to his side, his back facing away from Kageyama. “ _Ughh_ …,” He swallows thick. Kageyama–with his eyebrows now pulled together in a defined frown of concern–begins a pattern on Hinata’s back. 

“What can I do to help?”  

“I don’t know,” Hinata answers, a little panicked. He’s panting now, because he can’t get relief. He starts rocking a little; his throat and his chest is tight and his stomach feels stretched and taut. “I can’t burp.” He says with a whimper. 

Kageyama gingerly turns him so he’s face-down, so that he’s now staring at the open gap in between his boyfriend’s crossed legs. Hinata’s hands are balled in fists at his shoulders, his arms resting on Kageyama’s knees. 

Kageyama watches his spine rise and fall in rapid irregular intervals of nervous energy. His long fingers start trailing up and down his back. 

“Try to relax,” he murmurs, while he massages his palm into Hinata’s skin. “You’re probably making it worse.” He feels the smaller boy’s stiff muscles start to loosen. A jarring belch follows. “There we go." 

He switches to patting, encouraged by the progress he’s made with helping Hinata relieve some gas. Hinata shudders against him, making a sound of distress. He lifts himself a bit; the pressure’s too much. A hiccup gets caught in his chest before he jolts with another belch that rolls out of him. It grates his throat with hot air. He sinks back down, letting out a dry sob as he rests his forehead on Kageyama’s thigh. 

"Yama-chan,” he gasps. His voice barely has enough structure to hold his words together, it’s so shaky and thick. He can’t keep his eyes open because the nausea is suddenly way too strong. Kageyama moves to rubbing again, gently, and his hand says it all: _It’s okay. Relax. Please relax. Calm down…_

Hinata sucks in a breath. It catches in his throat. He feels like it’s closing up. His stomach is absolutely stewing. “ _Uhhheeuurlp_.” Another one. Long, meaty, and momentous. He shudders and his spine ripples under Kageyama’s hand. 

“Didn’t sound good at all. Are you okay?” Kageyama says, and he listens intently for a reply, but gets nothing. 

Hinata’s chest feels heavy, full, like something is working it’s way upward. A lot of something. Kageyama could probably hear it himself. The feeble groan Hinata makes has Kageyama biting his lip with apprehension. 

“Yama-ch–,” His body doesn’t even let him finish, just cuts him off with a heady burp. It’s vile. It’s loud and unapologetic. And it’s productive. The exact moment Hinata feels a hot splash of liquid rush up his throat, he lifts himself off Kageyama’s lap, his hands planted firmly on the blanket they’re sitting on. He’s swallowing desperately, his eyes screwed shut. Kageyama’s eyes are saucers.  

“Oh my god. S-shoyou–okay, hold on." 

Swifly, Kageyama stands to lift Hinata by the armpits, just to get him to crouch by the edge of their blanket on the grass. Hinata whimpers shakily as he sways forward on his hind legs, his hand digging into the bark of the tree in front of him. Kageyama plants himself right against his small body, supporting him with an arm secure across Hinata’s chest. Hinata holds onto it with a free hand. He’s trembling. Kageyama presses his lips into the back of Hinata’s clammy neck, nudging the hood of Hinata’s hoodie with his chin. 

"It’s okay. I’m here.” He whispers. His hand slips between them to work some circles into Hinata’s back. The sick boy’s stomach squeals and gurgles, slicing through the air. His gut feels like it’s spilling over his pants. A deep hiccup makes him jerk forward. His spine curls with a silent heave and a thick line of drool meets the ground. Hinata keens as a nasty wave of nausea flushes over his whole body. Kageyama feels himself leaning forward with Hinata’s body as he pants toward the ground. A tight belch hurdles up with enough force to rattle the both of them and Kageyama makes a sound. 

“God. Did coffee really do this much damage?" 

And then Hinata answers with a retch that sounds like it’s come straight down from his toes. It sends his body in a trap of suffocating heaves, squeezing his tight stomach with it’s convulsions, sending up waves of the coffee from that morning, the riceballs, the junk food and cheap ramen bowls from the study sessions with Noya last night, everything. After about the 4th wave, Hinata is wheezing for a breath, but one struggling inhale has him burping up another–thinner–stream of bitter liquid. 

Kageyama doesn’t know what to do, so he just keeps trying to soothe with his hands and grazing his lips on his skin while Hinata holds onto him for dear life. 

"Shh,” he says, because Hinata sounds a lot like he’s trying his hardest not to burst into tears as he’s wracked with dry heaves. After a while, Hinata tries to muffle the sounds of his distress with a closed mouth, but his gags are too forceful. His eyes are red and misty. He sucks in a careful breath. 

“My stomach, yama-chan.” He croaks, his throat raw and barely cooperating. The arm clutching Kageyama’s arm lowers to wrap around his sore stomach. 

“It’s still hurting?” Kageyama says, alarmed. Hinata nods, sniffling. In one swift motion, Kageyama undoes the buttons of Hinata’s pants; the redhead doesn’t even protest, doesn’t care that they’re outside where someone could see. 

Hinata’s head falls back onto Kageyama’s shoulder, letting out a weak purr of relief at the sudden contact of his boyfriend’s big warm hand on his bloated skin. He presses his back into Kageyama’s chest. They stay like this for long enough, Kageyama massaging the upset out of Hinata’s stomach, watching each other’s breaths frost up in the air. And when Hinata finally stops burping in ways that sound threatening, Kageyama leans away only to reach for a water bottle. 

Hinata takes it thankfully, draws a few swigs from it to swish around his mouth. When he spits it out, he sighs shakily and melts back into Kageyama’s chest. Kageyama leans back so he’s sitting again, so he can properly have Hinata to rest in his lap. He rakes fingers through Hinata’s hair and thanks God this is over. Or it seems to be. 

“You’re not going to practice tonight.” It only seems right to say, after an ordeal like this. It’s finals week. Hinata is sick. In fact, he’s still trembling in his lap. He should probably take him straight to the campus nurse office after this. Practice is out of the question. 

“I’m going." 

"You’re _not_. Hinata, are you kidding me?" 

"It’s still early. I’ll be better before tonight. I’m going.” 


	2. Chapter 2

_____

 

“How are you feeling?” 

Kageyama had been wholeheartedly against Hinata coming to practice, but the ginger had a will as unmoving as a brick wall. Yes, Hinata obeys Kageyama’s orders to sip on water and go straight to sleep once they reach the dorms earlier that afternoon, but Hinata got right up to walk with his boyfriend to the gym that evening.  

He still looks shaky on the court, but at least his hands stay away from his stomach. It doesn’t stop Kageyama from watching his every move during practice; Daichi had even scolded him for being so distracted. So, finally, when the team has a proper water break from spiking drills, Kageyama tugs Hinata out into the hall. 

Hinata is flushed and sweaty from all the sprinting, but so is everyone else. His eyes are charged with adrenaline. He’s practically bouncing on his heels. He moves a limp clump of black hair out of the way of Kageyama’s eyes. He’s beaming. It’s like Kageyama is standing right in front of a shining lightbulb. 

“I feel great.” He answers. Great is better than fine. The hint of a smile Kageyama gives is enough to put Hinata on a different kind of high. He pulls the taller boy to him, pressing his face into Kageyama’s damp shirt. Kageyama wraps long arms across Hinata’s shoulders, squeezing him. 

“Good.” 

x

They’d been stealing reassuring looks at each other all through dinner, because Kageyama was on edge since that afternoon. No“I’m really fine. I get this way sometimes” can rid the image of Hinata shaking and retching over a patch of grass with tears in his eyes, clutching at Kageyama like it was his only way of coping. It isn’t like he hadn’t seen Hinata vomit before, but before had always just been pre-game jitters. It was also before Hinata really let Kageyama in. 

Hinata cleans off whatever he’d ordered within 10 minutes, eyeing anything else he can snag with his chopsticks across the table. After all, dinner’s on the coach tonight. The boys are just happy to see Hinata has an appetite. Everyone gladly adds more to Hinata’s bowl; Suga is practically feeding him out of his own hands, bringing Hinata’s drink to his lips and everything. 

It isn’t long before Hinata’s spoon is digging into the broth of Kageyama’s noodle bowl. Kageyama is generally stingy, but Hinata risks it tonight. With the spoon still in his mouth, Hinata grins toothily at the one he loves, the boy with eyes darker than anyone he knows. Kageyama flicks off a grain of rice stuck at the corner of Hinata’s lips and his thumb lingers there, brushing across. He kisses him real quick and goes back to his noodles with a blank face. Hinata blushes, but he shouldn’t be embarrassed. They aren’t a secret anymore.

x

Hinata spends the next few hours of the night in Nishinoya’s room again. There’s English textbooks, dictionaries, and loose papers strewn about the place. There’s also snacks. Lots of them. Special ones this time; American ones. Nishinoya’s friend from the US sent him a big box of them. They have him on video-chat while they take their time trying each one. Hinata’s already had his fair share of the Oreos and the Chips Ahoys and the Pringles and the Reeses, but he’s fixated on the Cheetos. He’s had a few handfuls of those. He likes them so much, he sucks every bit of the cheese off his fingers. 

He washes everything down with a can of Coke. He hasn’t had one of these in maybe a  _year_. They’re expensive in Japan. He’s not much of a soda drinker anyway. Can’t really enjoy those when you’re a serious athlete. Otherwise, coach will flash him dirty disapproving looks. 

The sweetness of it awakens every taste bud. The bubbles make him wiggle as it goes down his throat. He likes how it seems to give him a shot of energy as he stares at his English notes.  

But when it’s late, it’s late, and Hinata wakes up an hour later on top of his open textbook. It takes him a minute to remember what he’s doing in Noya’s room. Groaning, he pushes himself up and starts putting his books back into his backpack. His eyes settle on the empty bag of Cheetos and his stomach makes its distaste known with a subtle flip. 

He shuffles out of his friend’s room, turning off the light. It’s a good thing he and Kageyama were invited to stay over at the fraternity house tonight; he just has to go down the hall. He climbs right into bed where Kageyama is already fast asleep.  

He can’t remember if he ever finished what he needed to study for his English exam. The thought starts up a creeping unease in his belly. 

x

It’s 2am and Hinata can’t sleep. He can’t. He’s so full. And not good-full. Not the same full he felt at dinner or at Noya’s, the kind that makes him sit back and pat his belly proudly. This is different. Hinata feels like his stomach is in his lungs, like every breath he takes is saturated in nausea. Every other exhale demands a hasty swallow, because the sick feeling stays camped out in his throat.

He hides away in the bathroom and curses at himself for being so stupid. It’s a really good thing Kageyama is sleeping so heavily. 

That foreboding sense of the rising urge to spew usually sends Hinata in a panic. But for some reason right at this moment, the feeling is easy to surrender to. 

He’s been standing at the sink for something like 15 minutes, alternating between gripping the porcelain and running a hand up and down his gurgling stomach. It’s tight and round under his hand, and if he moves just enough, he’ll stir up a cramp that’ll have him bending down to the floor again. He stares drunkenly at his reflection in the mirror, eyes heavy-lidded and skin lacking color through the dim of the nightlight plugged into the wall near the door. His lips are wet with drool as he waits for his body to react again. 

There’s something somewhat relieving about gagging as the urge comes to him. His throat closes up and his stomach flinches and it bends him forward. He coughs weakly into the drain, swallowing convulsively behind the back of his hand. He hopes—after gagging for the 5th time—his nausea will be satisfied, but it isn’t. His stomach is still swirling. He hiccups something fierce. It’s deep, jolting him enough to make him grip the porcelain fixture harder for balance.   
  


He exhales shakily and it sends out a ghost of a burp, tasting foul like rotten eggs. He rocks forward with a closed-mouthed gag. It makes his throat click. He sucks in another careful breath, breathes out, only for it to clip with a rather loud and abrupt belch. Panting, he rests his head under his arm near the faucet of the sink, using his other hand to rub into the tight skin of his belly. It ushers up a few large and unpleasantly wet burps, and thankfully, nothing else. 

x

“’Nata, knock it off,” 

Kageyama grumbles through a heavy haze of sleep. Hinata keeps moving next to him. The mattress has been creaking and bouncing under them for a while now as Hinata switches from his side to his back, but Kageyama only now starts to stir from it. “S’late. Go to sleep.” 

Hinata stills himself for long enough to hear Kageyama’s light snores return before he starts moving again, this time to scoot himself closer to his boyfriend’s body and fitting into his chest. He rests his cheek on Kageyama’s bare skin and a shiver rolls through his body. Kageyama hums at Hinata’s presence. His stomach won’t stop turning. It’s a groaning, gurgling mess in the silence of the bedroom. 

“Yama,” Hinata moans. “Kageyama…I’m not feeling good.” He may as well admit something now. He doesn’t feel any better since he left the bathroom. He doesn’t know what else he should do. 

“Wuh?” That seems to get his attention. Hinata presses himself further into Kageyama’s body. He loves it when Kageyama sleeps without a shirt on; his skin is always warmer than Hinata’s. Maybe the warmth will help settle his stomach.   
It doesn’t. The contact of Kageyama’s abdomen pressed to his knots Hinata’s sensitive belly into a very unpleasant cramp. 

“ _Ah-hahh_ … _uhhn_.” He sinks his teeth into Kageyama’s collarbone. Just a little. Just to get a grip on something while the heavy wave of nausea ripples up and down his body. Kageyama squirms as Hinata curls more into him, drawing his knees up and pressing cold kneecaps into Kageyama’s stomach. He drapes an arm around Kageyama’s back and moans. 

“Mmm-hey,” Kageyama mumbles, rubbing his eyes. His fingers drop to his small boyfriend’s hair. His scalp is damp under his fingertips. He absently runs his hands around Hinata’s back and Hinata lets out a shaky sigh. “Hey,” Kageyama repeats, more alert, his concern spiking. “What’s wrong? You okay?”

Beads of sweat glisten Hinata’s forehead. Kageyama passes a hand over Hinata’s bright hair to slick it back out of his face. It reveals flushed cheeks over an abnormally pale complexion. 

“My stomach’s not doing so good.” Hinata answers feebly. His voice is breathy; hot puffs of if make a wet spot on Kageyama’s chest. This isn’t at all what Kageyama hopes to hear. Hinata shouldn’t have come to practice. He shouldn’t have let him eat all that heavy food for dinner. 

“Sit up for a second. You’re baking under this hoodie.” Kageyama doesn’t like that he has to lift Hinata by the shoulders to sit him up. He doesn’t like that he has to  _help_  sit him up, how the movement seems to jar him enough to make him grimace and press his hand to his lips. Hinata smothers a low hiccup and closes his eyes. Kageyama watches him cautiously until the smaller boy finally lowers his hand. His dark eyes level with dull amber, a hand gripping his arm. 

“Hinata, do you think you’re going to be sick? Should we go to the bathroom?” 

“I don’t think so. Not yet.” 

“But later?” 

“I really, really hope not.” 

Kageyama decides he’ll take that answer for now, but Hinata doesn’t look good at all. And it’s even more apparent when he helps Hinata out of his light blue hoodie. The printed t-shirt he has under is easily ridden up on his stretched-out stomach. Hinata’s so bloated, his skin distends from his thin frame like a sore thumb, clearly bulging. Kageyama doesn’t think he’s ever seen him like this. Hinata’s hand goes straight to his belly like a magnet, grimacing as it grumbles loudly. 

“Come here.” Kageyama says softly, opening his arms. Hinata closes the space between them and Kageyama slowly lowers them both back down on the bed. Hinata immediately has his face pressed into Kageyama’s neck. His moan is long and wobbly as Kageyama begins running his hand up and down his back, his body limp with nausea. “Does this help?” 

“Yeah.” Hinata says, but it’s airy and he has to say it with clenched teeth. The ministrations bring up a sharp belch and he swallows hard. Kageyama watches him in the darkness. For the next 5 minutes, Hinata keeps his eyes squeezed shut. He observes that in the midst of bad waves of nausea, Hinata has a ritualistic way of breathing. 

Long in, out in out  
Long in, out in out

Hinata doesn’t open his eyes until he feels Kageyama start to get up. “Where’re you going? Please stay.” 

“I’ll be right back. Promise.” 

x

“What’re you guys doing up?”   
“I’d say the same for you. Daichi and I are done with our exams. We don’t need to be up for anything in the morning.”   
“Oh, ok, well…Hinata can’t sleep. He’s feeling sick.” 

“Oh yeah?” Suga straightens up in his barstool, his eyes going a little wide and his eyebrows pulling together in concern. He and Daichi seemed to be playing a game of cards on the kitchen counter. Kageyama can see Suga now contemplating going upstairs to check on Hinata himself. “I thought he might’ve been feeling better.”

“Yeah, me too,” Kageyama says. “I think he might’ve eaten too much. Could just be indigestion, right?” 

“Could definitely be that,” Suga replies, but he appears a little distracted in his thoughts when he gets up to look through cabinets for something. “I mean, his stomach doesn’t do well when he’s anxious. It might be that too. He does have one more exam tomorrow.”  

Kageyama just frowns as he watches Suga pour tonic water into a mug. If Hinata gets this bad every time he got anxious, he’s sure it must’ve sucked for him in the past, having to deal with it on his own. 

Suga warms up the mug in the microwave and Daichi comes around to squeeze Kageyama’s shoulder. “He’ll be alright,” the elder boy says knowingly. “Just show him you’re there for him.” 

Suga puts the mug in Kageyama’s hands and smiles warmly at him. “Get him to drink as much of this as he can. Should help him bring up any trapped air and settle his stomach. We’ll come up and check on you before we go to sleep.” 

x

The warm tonic water starts working after Hinata struggles to sip through half the mug. Kageyama makes himself comfortable sitting cross-legged by the headboard of the bed. Hinata mirrors him, his knees right up on his boyfriend’s, grimacing, but doing his best to finish what’s in the cup. Kageyama hears him audibly gulp more of the fizzy liquid before pressing the mug into Kageyama’s hands, shaking his head. 

“Can’t drink anymo— _hic_!” Hinata shuts his eyes. “ _Uughhh_ , Yama-chan, I feel so bad. My stomach, it— _urlp_ — _heurrrlp_ …it feels so heavy.” Kageyama sets the mug aside on the side table and leans forward so Hinata can rest his forehead on his. Hinata feels like a pressurized can. 

The moment Kageyama’s hand touches his back, he erupts with a loud and gurgling burp, right in Kageyama’s face. Hinata immediately presses his lips together, mortified. “Oh my god, Tobio. I’m—I’m so sorry.” 

“Hey, stop that. You can’t help it.” With his hand still on his back, he pats his lap. “Come up here. Lemme rub your back.” 

Hinata doesn’t protest. He wraps his legs around Kageyama’s waist so that he can sit in his lap and lean himself into his chest. The added pressure to his tight stomach and the hands working on his back sends up a rancid belch without any type of warning. Hinata groans and rests his chin on Kageyama’s shoulder. 

Kageyama starts rocking them both, side by side, slowly while he gives Hinata some rhythmic pats with his palm. Hinata clutches at Kageyama’s skin when another rolls out of him, all deep and hot. It makes him shudder and he has to pant from the aftershock of it. Kageyama pauses. 

“Are you okay? Is this working?” 

“I don’t know— _hlp_. Yeah, I think,” Hinata says shakily. “Just keep going.” 

So he does. And for the next half hour, Hinata alternates from just feeling gassy to feeling gassy and nauseous, from burping to convulsive swallowing to almost gagging. Sometimes, Kageyama’s thinking they need to run to the bathroom. Sometimes Hinata gets up and beats him to it. But then he comes back, muttering, “false alarm” with a miserable face and a hand under his shirt. 

Kageyama tries a little of everything to keep his mind off his stomach. He tries humming. He tries stories. He’s probably talked more than he’s ever done in his whole life. But Hinata’s cramps are distracting. Hinata would hiss in pain and curl up and dig his nails into Kageyama’s skin. He’d let out these dry, frustrated sobs that made Kageyama want to do anything to stop it. 

But thank God, Suga peeps in, and upon seeing Hinata in pain, leaves the room briefly only to come back with a heating pad. Hinata seems to melt as the warmth reaches his sore belly. Kageyama wonders how Suga is always the miracle worker. 

Now, with the heating pad pressed firmly around Hinata’s still-bloated abdomen, he’s as lax as putty. The heating pad is a bit too warm for Kageyama, but he doesn’t dare move. Hinata is finally dozing against his chest; he would not mess this up. 

Kageyama plants his lips on the top of Hinata’s hair before leaning his head back on the headboard. He falls asleep instantly. 

x

The warm water of the shower feels so good on Kageyama’s skin later that morning. Not much later. Maybe only 2 hours after he and Hinata finally fell asleep. He keeps his head under the running water, willing himself to wake up. He hopes his eyes stop stinging, and that they don’t look so puffy once he gets out. But the thoughts start blending into each other and he’s dozing in the shower, until the door bursts open. 

“Hey wait, someone’s in he—,” Then he realizes no one should be using this bathroom other than him or Hinata. 

And indeed it is Hinata, crashing in to shove his head into the toilet, coughing harshly into it. It sounds so bad Kageyama jumps out of the shower and fumbles for a towel to wrap around himself in alarm. Hinata’s retching by the time he kneels beside him, spine curling with the force of it. He’s panting raggedly, with one arm pressed into his stomach and a hand gripping the top of the toilet. Kageyama’s mind is blaring, but he can’t vocalize it. He has to be present. He has to be calm.  

Hinata is shaking and gasping. Kageyama can tell how quickly this must’ve come over him. He might’ve been pulled right out of his sleep to be sick.   
Kageyama tries to pry Hinata’s arm away from his stomach, replacing it with his own hand. His hands are still wet, but who cares. His other hand slips under Hinata’s shirt, his nails grazing Hinata’s clammy skin. 

“Shouyou, shh, it’s alright,” He kisses the side of his head. Hinata’s forcing himself to breathe normal, but a gag interrupts him. “I’m here. It’s okay. Let it do what it needs to do.” 

Hinata makes a sound of distress, reaching out to squeeze Kageyama’s knee. And then a thunderous belch, and then a cascade of liquid pounding into water, brown and orange. And then two more, of the same force, like a geyser, gurgles out of him so violently Kageyama has to plant an arm across Hinata’s chest. 

Two weaker streams don’t give him any chance to breathe and he’s choking for some air the moment they taper off. Kageyama’s working circles into his back, eyes a little wild with worry. It’s like they’re both staring at the specks of vomit on the lid of the bowl, in shock. 

But Hinata isn’t quite done. His stomach traps him in a cycle of rolling heaves, each one ending a trembling breath away from another one beginning. Some are dry while some are very productive, pitching Hinata’s tense body forward to squeeze more chunky liquid out of him. 

Kageyama leans forward to flush; the toilet was actually filling up. Hinata straightens up, and his arms are shaking. He rests an elbow on the rim, doesn’t care how dirty it is. He’s panting, and he doesn’t feel like he has a grip on anything, and he feels like he’s losing control. A strangled whimper escapes him. His lips quiver and his shoulders shake with hushed sobs. 

“I don’t like this,” Hinata whispers in a very small voice. Kageyama almost can’t take it. He closes his eyes and presses his face into Hinata’s neck. “I really don’t like this, Kageyama.” 

“I know baby.” He whispers back. 

Kageyama just used a pet name. And who cares. 

x

Kageyama carries Hinata to the bathtub once there’s enough water in there. He’s feeling better now that he’s cried out and empty. The warm water flushes his skin with pleasure and relief and color instantly rises to his cheeks. 

“Want me to get in there with you?” Kageyama suggests with a smirk. Hinata looks down and shyly shakes his head. He’s still embarrassed. Kageyama looks slightly disappointed, but he squeezes a rag repeatedly over Hinata’s back so the warmth can flood all over. 

They both sport raccoon eyes as Hinata sleepily tells him about his little snack binge with Noya the night prior, how he’ll never probably eat American snacks ever again. He tells him he can’t remember what he studied for the English exam, but he doesn’t tell him he’s anxious. Because somehow he isn’t. He looks up at Kageyama while the taller boy dutifully continues passing the washcloth over his skin. 

“I’m sorry I kept you up all night.” 

“I’m glad you woke me up.” Kageyama says, so casually. He gently rubs the washcloth into his skin. “I wouldn’t want you to go through that alone.” 

“Do you think something’s wrong with me?” 

Kageyama drops the washcloth to lean forward and kiss Hinata’s forehead, the bridge of his nose. Hinata’s eyes skitter around his boyfriend’s face for an answer. “No baka.” 

His lips graze Hinata’s before he pulls away, back to washing Hinata with a completely content look in his eyes. “And you’re going to do just fine on your exam.” He adds. 

Hinata looks down, blushing hard. He reaches for one of Kageyama’s hands, passing a thumb along slender fingers. He doesn’t say anything. Instead, his eyes blur with tears. He feels he won’t be able to say it without sobbing, so he thinks it.

_I love you, Kageyama Tobio_ , and hopes that squeezing his large hand can tell it clearly enough. 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm slowly adding my tumblr sickfics onto my ao3. this will be my first one on here! 
> 
> i loooove me some kagehina. love me some!!! And I have a weakness for seeing hinata sick. he breaks my heart. anyway, i had to get this out of my system. i personally think it got a little out of hand. 
> 
> warning for some serious fluff, i think. i really like fluff, if you haven’t noticed. <3 
> 
> i love comments, so please tell me how you feel!   
> also, catch me on tumblr! :3 http://bleucheeks.tumblr.com/


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